News & Features Archive

Saturday, July 6, 2013

If there's any health-care shortage in rural areas that exceeds primary care, it's psychiatry. The Health Resources and Services Administration designates "health professional shortage areas" across the country in dentistry, primary care and mental health. In Minnesota, all but the counties surrounding the Twin Cities and Rochester are designated as shortage areas for mental health.
(07/06/2013)

At the Hillwood Estate gardens in Washington, D.C., the new norm is: "Expect the unexpected." Like home gardeners, the horticulturalists and professional gardeners at Hillwood are confronting an unpredictable climate. So what's a home gardener to do? It's likely you have to change plants.
(07/06/2013)

The surprise announcement that the White House is delaying a requirement that many employers offer coverage raised questions about other major parts of the biggest expansion of society's safety net since Medicare nearly 50 years ago. One delay may not matter much in the end. People will judge Obama's law on three main points: premiums, choice and the overall consumer experience.
(07/06/2013)

Pope Francis called for structural renewal in the Catholic church to keep up with the times, although advising future priests and nuns Saturday to shun costly trappings like the latest smart phones so they can use more resources to help the poor.

Eclipsed by economic issues and other social concerns, crime is slowly re-emerging as a campaign issue. Some states are turning away from mandatory prison sentences and embracing rehabilitation programs to thin out inmate populations and save taxpayer money. That growing consensus is facing its first test in two political bellwether states where demographics have pushed Republicans into a political corner.

The 33rd Annual Hmong Freedom Celebration will take place at Como Park at St. Paul this weekend. Visitors can expect more than 80 food booths selling traditional Hmong food, live entertainment, sports competitions and a teen pageant.

A foundation at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport is seeking men and women who can be "Minnesota Nice" while dealing with the occasional stress that comes along with the bustle of a busy airport.

The overwhelming and endless stream of electronic alerts and messages on our computers, phones and tablets is driving demand for a new kind of summer camp for adults. "Technology-free" camps that force their campers to surrender their gadgets, wallets and that nagging "fear of missing out" -- FOMO -- are booking up fast.

The Labor Department's newest data released Friday shows the U.S. added 195,000 jobs in June. That said, the mandatory federal cutbacks as a result of the sequester are costing the country at least some jobs.

America's productivity has taken a toll on the environment, especially rivers and lakes: Agriculture is the nation's leading cause of impaired water quality, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.